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Buffalo Bills

The Bills are healthier and refreshed following a much-needed week off. And they may have some new faces in the lineup as they look to make a playoff push over the season's final seven weeks.

According to Associated Press sports writer John Wawrow, the Bills got back to work Monday following their Week 10 bye, with most of their players on the practice field after a first half of the season dominated by injuries.

"This should be the healthiest we've been in a long time coming back off the bye, and should have a lot of energy and passion," head coach Rex Ryan said.

According to Associated Press sports writer John Wawrow, key players such as running back LeSean McCoy, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, and wide receiver Robert Woods were on the practice field after dealing with injuries in recent weeks. So were linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and receiver Marquise Goodwin, among others.

Woods (foot) was subsequently working on a limited basis Wednesday, but seems likely to play.

"The week off came at a good time," guard Richie Incognito said. "If you've got little nicks and dings, it gives you a chance to heal those up and it gives you a chance to get ready mentally. A week to get away from it and prioritize and get back up here."

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who has been on injured reserve since Week 3, is eligible to return to practice this week, but Rex Ryan said Monday that he's not ready.

The Bills' medical staff has not cleared to him practice, so Ryan is adhering to that recommendation.

"I just met with Sammy and he feels fantastic, but we're going to be smart with this and we'll do what's best for him," said Ryan.

"Until all our medical people are on board with him coming back out there on the field, then we're not going to practice him. When that times occurs, and hopefully that will occur soon, he'll be back out there. He feels great so hopefully that's a positive sign."

It was assumed Watkins would practice this week and be ready to play against Jacksonville on Nov. 27 when he was eligible to do so, but that timetable may now be pushed back.

Thus, the Bills may need to rely more on newly-signed Percy Harvin who made his season debut in Seattle and played 21 snaps without getting a touch or a target.

"He wasn't able to run a full route complement; we never felt that he was really ready to do that football shape wise, but we feel better about it moving forward," said Ryan. "Percy won't just be a decoy for us."

Ryan hinted at some personnel changes, specifically pointing to the secondary and the offensive line, with one potential change at cornerback for Buffalo's game at Cincinnati. Second-year cornerback Ronald Darby was benched in the loss to Seattle and he did not work with the first unit during the portion of practice open to the media Monday. In his place was fifth-year pro Corey White, who replaced Darby against Seattle.

After practice, White told reporters he and Darby split reps in practice and that it's considered an open competition.

"We'll see," White said. "Right now we're just competing in practice and we'll see who starts on Sunday."

The Bills will have a new center for the remainder of the season after veteran Eric Wood broke a leg against Seattle. Ryan Groy replaced Wood against the Seahawks and will compete with Patrick Lewis for the job.

That may not be the only change on Buffalo's offensive line. Ryan is encouraged by the progress of former starter Seantrel Henderson. Henderson started in each of the past two seasons for Buffalo at right tackle, but has yet to make it all the way back after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease late last season. Henderson was significantly underweight because of the disease and also missed the first four games of the year due to a suspension.

"I'm encouraged right now the way he practiced, especially last week," Ryan said. "That was the guy that I remember, a special athlete. So hopefully he can continue that way. I was really encouraged with how he looked last week."

The Bills (4-5) must quickly make up ground after slipping in the standings. After three straight losses, the Bills are 11th in the AFC, third in their division.

"We were all on empty ... but now I feel like we're healthy and feeling good and we ought to be rolling now," Ryan said. ...

As the Sports Xchange noted this week, Tyrod Taylor is coming off arguably the best game of his Bills career as he looked efficient and capable in the pocket in Buffalo's narrow loss at Seattle. However, he needs to continue on an ascending path over the final seven weeks because he's still very much a work in progress.

The Bills rank 31st in passing yards, and Taylor ranks 25th or lower among NFL QBs in attempts, completions, yards, completion percentage, and average gain per completion. He's 21st in passer rating at 87.1.

Part of the problem, though, has been the dearth of talent at wide receiver. Woods is coming off a career game in Seattle, but the Bills have gotten very little from anyone else, particularly tight end Charles Clay who has just 283 receiving yards.

Meanwhile, as they were last season when they led the NFL in rushing, the Bills have been very effective on the ground. They rank second in the NFL behind the Dallas Cowboys at 155 yards per game, and McCoy, despite missing a game and a half, has 683 yards and is averaging 5.1 per attempt.

Taylor's 362 rushing yards lead all NFL QBs.

A few final items. ... Mike Gillislee is 4-for-4 on converting third-and-1 rushing plays into first downs and Brandon Tate ranks in the top 10 in both punt and kickoff return average.